Making a Statement

Now that I've talked all about sustainability and what it is, I figure it's time to answer some questions about where I stand in terms of sustainability (largely because my grade depends on it). A personal statement, if you will. What issues do I focus on when I think of sustainability? What questions do I have about sustainability? What sustainable practices am I committed to and feel strongly about now? What can I and the world do to be more sustainable?  To the end of answering these questions, I devote this lonely patch of digital space.

I've felt in the back of my mind that alternative energy sources should be more rigorously pursued. Mountains of data exist on the polluting effects of fossil fuel exhaust and its contribution to global climate change, but more importantly than that, I feel, is the cost of extracting these fossil fuels. Gas is becoming much more expensive to obtain, what with heated politics in the Middle East,and the increased difficulty of finding crude oil. If the demand for petroleum continues, I feel that the next generation will be forced to empty more cash out of their wallets to pay for it. Whether it's hydrogen fuel cells or solar power or electric power, there needs to be a new and affordable energy source that can contest with fossil fuels.

On that note, I've got a few questions regarding sustainability in the modern world. Why hasn't alternative energy been pursued more rigorously? Aside from being a more environmentally-conscious measure, alternative energy would reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Really, it just seems like the smart thing to do. Might it have something to do with cost? What might the cost be to implement such measures? Aside from that, though, would nuclear power count as a sustainable energy source? I'm fairly sure it doesn't draw upon a large amount of natural resources, and it's power output is tremendous. It's seen successful use in submarines, so why not use it to power cities? We can research methods to more effectively deal with radiation, after all.

As for me, I am currently committed to recycling. That's not to say that I've been perfect at it or never threw a plastic bottle in a trash can, but I do recycle. The way I see it, if a resource can be reused, then it might as well be rather than just sitting in a pile somewhere. Paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, all of it should be recycled. I value recycling, and I think that everyone should do it.

Beyond that, though, I'm not really that sustainable. In the future, however, I could perform such measures as buying a more fuel-efficient car, buying locally grown, organic produce (hey, it reduces the amount of resources needed to ship it), and grow some produce if at all possible. I could also invest in Energy Star appliances and donate money for research into alternative energy sources. As for the rest of planet Earth, I don't expect a whole lot from the world's population, but if there's one thing I would love for them to do, I'd like them to work on alternative energy. That would solve so many problems.

And that concludes my personal statement. My concerns regarding sustainability, my inquiries into it, my actions and convictions within it, and my future goals for becoming more sustainable are now within public viewing. This empty digital space has now become full.